But then, at least, if they start making threats or harassing, we have an e-mail address.

But if someone was making threats or harassing(either on the board or through email), wouldn't we have an email address anyhow?

if they start making threats or harassing, we have an e-mail address

No, we don't, necessarily. And if we do, what use is it?

The next day, that former friend approaches me and proceeds to quote my posts back to me. Well, what can the board do? She's a registered member but, unless I know her username, they can't block her from lurking.

Even if she does tell you her username, there's no reason to warn or ban the person in this scenario. If she started specifically attacking your posts on the board, maybe. But if it was just "I saw what you wrote and it pissed me off" and she isn't boiling your bunny or anything, that's really between you and her.

I'm going to chime in with a big "no" for the reasons already mentioned and on the grounds that it is unBuffista.

that's really between you and her.

Yes, this is also true.

There's also the fact that people can be reading this discussion right now and decide to register in case threads do become locked.

Then what do we do?

Also if a person has only lurked and doesn't say anything on the board and only says things off board in emails how can we tell who's doing the harassing or how long they have been registered if they start quoting things that were said in locked threads?

How can we even make sure they aren't registering more than one user name to confuse the issue?

if they start making threats or harassing, we have an e-mail address

Hmm. Looks like there's two separate issues here the proposal is trying to address:

• privacy concerns of members of the community with regards to things which are said in places like Bitches; and

• the ability of the community to respond to security concerns regarding lurkers.

I don't think the proposal would correct for the first issue, because people say private things in every thread and we all have to live with the fact that we're on the Internet.

As for the second issue... I dunno. I see the rationale but I fear that locking the thread from unregistered readers would violate our open-to-all philosophy. We try to encourage lurkers whenever possible, and part of what attracts people to the board is our willingness to hash out damned near everything in public. Locking the thread where policy decisions are made would contradict the spirit of the board, I think, and may also make lurkers think that we're all in there saying nasty things about them.

Security issues: I think matters such as the poster who is being harrassed shouldn't be addressed on the board even privately to the community, except inasmuch as there are violations of board etiquette or major community policy issues raised. It's the internet, and Buffistas.org has no ability to keep people (even registered users) from sending nasty email and basically being troglodytes. I feel for the poster in question but I don't know what we could have done to protect them.

Them's my thoughts, depreciated for the time delay it took to write the post.

and she isn't boiling your bunny or anything,

This is a great expression. We need to promulgate this expression far and wide.

I have nothing to add save that I agree with the nay-sayers for all of the reasons presented. It's kind of a shame, but I think we're a bit stuck with the open-kimono situation we have here.

You could do a pay to play in bitches, and grandfather in the regulars, lurkers be damned.

Just lobbing the ball out there.

Trolls are usually cheap fuckos.